A proposal to procure 15 Heron UAS at a cost of around Rs 1,200 crore (USD 195M) was approved by the Cabinet committee on security headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at its recent meeting .
The around Rs 1,200-proposal for procuring the UAS will bolster the Israeli-origin Heron and Searcher fleet of the force which deploys them on both the eastern and western sectors, they said. The force has a fleet of more than 40 such aircraft, which are expected to undergo upgrades in the near future.
The Indian Air Force displayed this Searcher II during the military display of 2007
The IAF flies the Israeli-made Searcher II and Heron UAS for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes and about 100 Searchers are in operation on Indian borders in western, northern and eastern regions. After the upgrades, the Air Force would be capable of operating these aircraft from far-off distances and control them through satellite communication system.
The Army also operates a sizable number of UAS and has deployed them in borders along the western and eastern fronts. The Army was the first to induct UAS in the 90s starting with Searcher Mark I and Searcher Mark II which could operate at an altitude of 15,000 feet and finally the Heron, which can operate at 30,000 feet.
The Army’s Northern Command had recently issued a global tender for procuring latest miniature unmanned aircraft systems for gathering intelligence and carrying out reconnaissance of areas along line of control (LoC) with Pakistan and China-India border.
The Navy has also three operational squadrons of the Israeli UAS deployed along both the eastern and the western seaboards.
India has a long history of buying military equipment from Israel. In 2009, India bought the Phalcon tactical and surveillance system from Israel, as part of a 1.1 billion dollar deal signed between India, Russia and Israel in January 2004. Israel’s military industry firm also announced plans at the time to establish five factories in India for the production of artillery shells.
Sources: Arutz Sheva, The Times of India